'Sick man' tag stays as diabetes rate soars

Published on Saturday 29 August 2009 19:51

SCOTLAND'S attempts to shrug off its reputation as the sick man of Europe has been dealt a blow with research revealing that the number of Scots suffering from type 2 diabetes has risen at a faster rate than elsewhere in the UK.

It has been shown that middle-aged male Scots are more likely to be diabetic than their counterparts in England.

Experts believe that Scotland's obesity problem and a decline in the amount of exercise taken north of the Border have contributed to the dramatic acceleration in the number of people with the disease linked to serious heart problems.

The study by researchers at University College London followed more than 7,000 men from 24 towns in the UK over the last three decades. One thousand of the sample were from Scotland based in the towns of Dunfermline, Falkirk and Ayr.

In the UK, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes increased from 1.2 per cent in 1978 to 12.1 per cent in 2005. Within that overall trend, there was an even more dramatic rise in Scotland.

At the outset of the study just 0.52 per cent of the men from Dunfermline, Falkirk and Ayr suffered from diabetes.

By 2005, the Scottish percentage had increased to 13.0 overtaking the 11.9 per cent in Southern England, the 11.1 in the Midlands and Wales and 12.5 per cent in Northern England.

Professor Peter Whincup, one of authors of the study said:

"There is a little bit of evidence that physical activity has decreased more in Scotland than elsewhere.

"The evidence is not yet that strong, but it suggests that a decline in physical activity could be making a contribution."